And sep abating ores



- L. H. FALLEY. APPARATUS FOR DEWATERING AND SEPARATING ORES, SANDS, &c.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29,1918. l 1,312,027. Patented Aug. 5, 1919.

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i TUS FOR DEWATERING AND SEPARATXING ORES, SANDS, 8m.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug.. s, raie.

Application led July 29, 1918; Serial No; 247,125.

To all ywhom t may concern:

lBe it known that ll, LEWIS H. FALLEI, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas Cit in the county of Jackson, State of Missourl, have invented certain new andy useful lmprovements in Apparatus for Dewatering and Separating Ores, Sands, &c., of which the following is a full specification.

rllhe present invention relates to devices for use in connection with ore concentrating mills, and aims to provide an improved apparatus for dewatering and separating ores, gravels, sands, etc., which comprise the mill run of dirt resulting from the operation of such mills.

Accordingly I have devised an apparatus to take the place of the usual form of dewatering screens, and operating to conduct the material in a more or less wavelike or zigzag path, and thereby agitating and loosening the mass of rock, ore, sand, gravel, etc., and separating the finer from the coarser particles, and from time to time removing the relatively finer particles along with a. large percentage of the water from the main current of the material.

For accomplishing this result ll provide a tank device through which the material is passed and its path interrupted and broken by a baille structure for producing the desired character of flow, and the separated products are intermittently taken oit by means of outlet passages and conduits and thereby removed from the rest of the material which is being carried through the tank.

lt is also an object to devise an apparatus oli' the character described .in which provision is made tor controlling the separating action thereof by the use of closed conduit passages having means for regulating the degree of air pressure therein.

lt is :further sought to provide a simple and economical construction of this charac- Jfer which may be cheaply manufactured as well as installed and operated at `a minimum of expense.

With these general objects in view, the invention will now be described in detail by reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating one form of construction which has been devised for embodying the improvements, after Which the novel features therein will be set forth and deined in the appended claims.

In the drawings- Figure l is a vertical sectional elevation v illustrating an apparatus constructed and arranged in accordance with the present invention;

"\ Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same;

Figs. 3 ande are transverse sections taken on'the lines 3-3 and 1 -4, respectively, ot Fig. l, Fig. 4 being drawn to a larger scale;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a pair of the baiiie members; and

. Fig. 6 is a sectional detail illustrating the adjustable securing means for said bathe members.

Referring to the said drawings in detail, these illustrate a tank 8 having its u per end arranged in' communication with a c ute l() for discharging-the material to be treated into the tank. This tank is arranged at a greater or lesser angle to the horizontal, depending upon conditions as hereinafter ein plained, the drawings showing the same positioned tat an angle less than vertical. lVithin the tank is provided a series of trough-like battle members 12 and 14C, the same projecting from opposite sides of the tank on'a" downward incline, with the lower ends of the members 12 intersecting the lower ends of the 'members 14. The lower end portions of the |baffle members 14 are forked (see-Fig. 5) for receiving the lower tapered ends ot the members 12, which lat' ter have the shouldered portions 16 spaced from the forked portions of the members 14 when the partsare arranged in properrelation; and in this position a space 18 is left open for the passage of the material be tween each pair of members 12 and 14. The upper ends ot the members 12 and 14 are formed with flanges 20 having slots 2Q for the use of bolts 24e in securing said members to the tank walls, this construction permitting adjustment of said members into their proper positions as shown in Fig. 5, and also for taking up any wear incident to the use of the apparatus.

Adjacent the upper end of each baiiie member 12 is an outlet opening 26 provided in the corresponding wall of the tank 8, said opening being shielded by means of a hood member 28 projecting from the inner face of said tank Wall in position to overlie said opening 26. At the upper end of each baffle 'member 14 is provided a .similar outlet opening 30 through 'the opposite wall of the tank, and each member 14 carries a hood element 32 adapted to shield the corresponding opening l3() and form a restricted passage leading thereto.

The outlet openings 26 communicate with a closed conduit passage 34 formed by a conduit casing 36 on the outer face of the corresponding side of the tank 8. Separate conduit passages 34 are provided for each set of a given number of said openings 26, the drawings showing a passage 34 for each set of three adjoining openings 26, and a discharge pipe 38, having a valve 40, leading off from each passage 34. Asi air vent valve 42 is also'provided for regulating the air pressure within the casing 36. The outlet openings 30 also communicate with similar closed passages 34 formed by a similar conduit casing 36 on the outer faceof the opposite side of the tank 8, from which .passages discharge pipes 38 lead to any desired points, an air vent valve 42 being provided the same as for the other casing 36.

The side wall of the tank which carries the baiiie members 12 is made removable so that this Whole side of the tank, with its baiiie structure, may be readily taken out for inspection and repair whenever necessary, saidtank 'wall being detachably secured by bolts 44 to flanges 46 at the corners of the tank.

The lower end of the tank discharges into ahopper 48 having a discharge pipe 50 controlled by a valve 52. An overflow basin 54 is arranged in communication with the top of the hopper 48, and provided with an outlet pipe 56 with a valve 58, and also with a drain pipe 60 fitted with a valve 62.

1n the operation of the apparatus, the material comprising water, ore, sands, etc., is fed in a stream into the top of the tank,

lwhich of course becomes lled with the sludge water up to the level of the uppermost openings V 26 and 30. In passing through the. tank, a wavelike motion is imparted to the waterfiiow by the baiiie structure above described, which breaks the downward course of the material, agitates it, and separates the finer particles from the coarser and heavier,-the finer particles gradually leaving the tank by way of the outlet openings 26 and 30. The provision of the hoods overlying said openings serves to set up a suction or iiow in the direction of the openings, which suction or iiow takes up the lighter particles of ore and sands as branch currents are started through these several openings. Theintersecting bame structure,

with the lower. ends thereof terminating opposite the outlet openings is such as to amaca? to the suction action of the various openings. As the flow continues through the tank, practically all the water and finer particles of ore, sand, gravel, etc. are separated and drawn oi' through the several series of outlet openings, and the coarser material is left to be deposited in the hopper 48 with butv a small percentage of the Water, the surplus water after leaving the tank being drawn olf through the overiiow basin 54.I The separated material discharged through the various sets of outlet openlngs 26 and 30 is carried oil by the conduits 38, one corresponding to each set of said openings, so that the grades of material` of approximately the same size are thustaken up and collected at one point.

It is thus apparent that a simple and efficient improved apparatus has been devised for fulfilling the desired objects of the invention. The apparatus may be set at any desired angle to the horizontal; the greater the angle the coarser the particles which will be separated, cleaned `and dewatered. Where there is a large variance as to size of rock, sand, etc., the tank should be set perpendicular or nearly so, depending upon the sizes to be separated out from the coarser particles; but where the mill dirt runs more uniform, the tank-will be set at a greater slant than otherwise. rIlhe distance between the baille members of course also depends upon the coarseness .or ineness of the mill crush to be treated.

The flow from the tank into the collecting conduits is conveniently and accurately regulated by increasing or diminishing the quantity of air admitted through the valves 42 at the top of each conduit, as well as by means of the valves controllin the discharge from said conduits. By t is regulation of the flow through the conduits, in addition to the control afforded by the discharge valves 52 and 58, the amount of water drawn off from the main {iow or current within the tank is also determined and controlled. With the arrangement and construction described, all use of screens is eliminated, and no mechanical movement of y ile l have illustrated and described one suitable form of embodiment of the proposed improvements, l desire to reserve the right to make such modications or changes as may fairly fall Within the scope of the appended claims.

at ll claim is:

l. ihn apparatus of thel character described comprising a tank, a lurality of baie members arranged at dierent elevations to impart a zigzag How to the material passing through the tank, said tank being provided with an outlet opening for each of said baffle members, and a conduit communicating with a given number of said outlet openings for collecting and carrying away the discharge therefrom.

2. an apparatus of the character described comprisin a tank, a plurality of transverse bae e ements arranged at different elevations to impart a zigzag How to the material passin through said tank, said tank being provide with an outlet opening for each of said bams members, and a closed conduit communicating with a iven number of said outlet openin s for col ecting and carrying the discharge t erefrom.

3. An apparatus of the character de-v scribed comprisin atank, a. plurality of transverse balile e ements arranged at dif,- ferent elevations to impart a zigzag How to the material passin vthrough said tank, said tank being provide with an outlet opening for each of said baiie members, a closed conduit communicating with a 'ven number of said outlet openings for col ecting and conducting the discharge therefrom, and means for controlling the air pressure within said conduit.

4f. An apparatus of the character described comprising' a tank provided Witha series of outlet openings at opposite sides thereof, aseries of baiie members arranged to impart a zigzag dow to the material passing through the tank, said bale members terminating in the vicinity of said outlet openings, and a conduit communicating with said openings for collecting and conducting the discharge therefrom.

5. An apparatus of the character de-` scribed comprising a tank, a plurality of oppositely arranged transverse baille mem'.- bers located at different elevations to impart a zigzag dow to the material passing through scribed comprising1 the tank, said tank being provided with an outlet opening at theupper end of each of said bame members, and conduits at opposite sides of the tank, each communicatin with a given number of said outlet openings for collecting and conducting the discharge therefrom.

6. An apparatus of the character described comprisinga tank, a plurality of transverse baffle members arranged at different elevations to impart a, zigzag flow to the material passing through the tank, said ltank being provided With an outlet opening material passing through the tank, and

means for removably securing one of said side Walls to the remainder of the tank.

8. An apparatus of the character descri-bed comprising a tank, a plurality of in- `tersecting baffle members arranged at different elevations to impart a zigzag iiow to the material passing through the tank, said tank being provided with an outlet opening for each of said baiile members, and means for securing said baffle members to the Walls of the tank, said means rmitting adjustment of said baile mem ers relatively to each other.

9. An apparatus of the character dea tank, a series of baiiie members arrange at different elevations within the tank for imparting a zigzag flow to the material passing therethrough, said tank being provided with an outlet opening for each of said baflie members, and a plu-v rality of conduit members communicating at different elevations with different sets of said outlet openings for collecting and conu ducting the discharge therefrom.

In witness whereof hereto afx my sig- 105 nature vLEWIs H. FALLEY. 

